The Defector (episode)
The Enterprise grants asylum to a defector from the Romulan Empire. Summary As Data performs in Shakespeare's play Henry V on the holodeck, Captain Picard watches. Data intends to study the human condition through Shakespeare. They are interrupted by Commander Riker who informs them that sensors have detected an unidenfitied craft in the Romulan Neutral Zone headed towards Federation space. Picard and Data leave the holodeck and discuss why a King would want to pose as a commoner. Picard arrives on the bridge, and Riker informs him that Outpost Sierra VI has confirmed that the ship is a Romulan scoutship. The ship hails the Enterprise and its pilot requests assistance and asylum, as he is under pursuit. The ship enters visual range and Worf displays in on the main viewer, just as a Romulan Warbird decloaks and begins firing on it. Picard immediately brings the ship to Red Alert and attempts to communicate with the Warbird. He informs them that they have crossed the Neutral Zone and are engaged in hostile action, demanding an explanation. No response is received, so they contact the scoutship again, this time visually. It's pilot pleads for help as the Enterprise moves to intercept, but then the ship is struck by weapons fire and communication is lost. The ship drifts in to Federation space and the Enterprise extends its deflector shields around it. The Warbird approaches, entering Federation space, but when Picard demands that they withdraw, they turn around and do so, having never communicated with the Enterprise. Life support on the scoutship begins to fail, so Picard orders that its pilot be transported aboard, and the scoutship taken in tow. Worf and Riker go to the transporter room to meet the pilot. The pilot is injured, unable to move his arm and has burns on his face. He demands to see the Captain, and when Riker suggests he go to sickbay he refuses, insisting the information he has is vital to their survival. He claims to be a low-ranking logitistics officer with vital information. In the observation lounge he tells them that the humiliating defeat suffered by the Romulans at the Battle of Cheron has not been forgotten and their new leaders have vowed to disregard the treaty - Nelvana III is just the first step. The Romulans have already established a base there, and it will be operational within fourty-eight hours. Riker is suspicious, wondering how the Federation sensors that monitor the neutral zone just missed this new base. The pilot insists that within two days a fleet of Warbirds will be within striking distance of fifteen Federation sectors. Picard tells Worf to take the pilot, Sublieutenant Setal, to sickbay. Picard, Riker, Data and Geordi La Forge discuss Setal's intentions. Whether he is legitimate or not, this could be a ploy by the Romulans to make the Federation look like the agressors. As Geordi talks about the scoutship Jarok has left them, it explodes. Riker questions Setal in sickbay. Setal insists that he is not a traitor and he set the ship's auto-destruct sequencer to prevent it from being captured. Setal is surprised when Beverly displays knowledge of Romulan medicine. She says she had gained experience recently, at the incident at Galorndon Core. Worf remains suspicious, asking how a clerk knew of that incident and questioning the authenticity of his credentials. Riker shows Setal to his quarters. When Riker leaves, Setal asks the replicator for water, giving the temperature in onkians. The computer does not understand and asks for the temperature in Celsius. He impatiently asks for water at the cold side of whatever their temperature system is. He then sits on his bed and removes a small, round object that was concealed in his boot. On the bridge, Data reports that no unusual activity has been detected in the Nelvana system. A priority communication from Starfleet Command on Lya III arrives. Admiral Haden informs Picard that the Romulan government has officially demanded the return of the defector but the Federation Council has refused. He suggests taking the Enterprise to a position proximate to Nelvana III. Picard then asks Worf to come to his ready room. Back on the bridge, Picard, Geordi, Data and Beverly watch sensor recordings from the chase. Geordi reports that the Warbird deliberately slowed down to avoid catching the scoutship. Data also reports that the Romulans have the same ability to direct the impact of their weapons as they do. Beverly admits that despite the severity of his wounds, Setal could have inflicted them upon himself. Picard receives another communication from Haden. The USS Monitor and the USS Hood are on their way but will not arrive in time. All Federation outposts have been warned, and all Starships are at yellow alert. Starfleet does not want a war, but is prepared to take them on if that is what they want. He orders Data to prepare a class-1 probe to scan Nelvana III. He also asks for Data's clarity of thought. He asks Data to keep a clear record of what happens, so that history will have an unbiased account of these events. He also asks about the crew's spirit. He confesses that, unlike King Henry, he cannot disguise himself and walk amongst his men. Riker and Deanna Troi interrogate Setal. Riker tries to make him prove that he is not a spy by asking about the strength and locations of the Romulan battle fleet. Setal says he does not know. He tells them he is a logistics officer for only one sector, under Admiral Jarok. He responds with "Irrelevant!" to the rest of Riker's questions. The Enterprise receives a priority message from the security officer on the IKS Bortas, which Worf leaves the bridge to deal with. Data, in the meantime, launches the probe. In Main Engineering, Data and Geordi analyse the probe's telemetry. The probe has picked up low-level subspace radio communications and ionization disturbances coming from the planet, which may be evidence of cloaked Romulan ships. However, they have not detected a base. The only way to be certain is to go to the planet and look for themselves. In Ten Forward, Data observes Setal. Setal recognises him as the android he had heard about. He apparently knows a number of Romulan cyberneticists who would love to study him, but Data realises that is not something he would want. Setal asks if the replicators are capable of producing Romulan ale but Data says they are not as they do not have the appropriate pattern, their knowledge of Romulan culture is limited. Setal and Data discuss the possibility that he will never be allowed to return to Romulus. Data takes him to the holodeck where he recreates the Valley of Chula on Romulus, but he does not need to stay for long. He tells Data to arrange a meeting between himself and Captain Picard, and to tell him that Admiral Jarok wants to speak with him. Admiral Hayden confirms that Setal is, in fact, Admiral Alidar Jarok, the commander responsible for the massacre at the Norkan outposts. Jarok is brought in to the ready room, where Picard questions his credibility. He suggests that the massacres at the Norkan Outposts are an example of the fact that Jarok is not a man of peace. Jarok counters, saying what Picard calls massacres were called the Norkan Campaigns on his homeworld. Picard asks Jarok is he is willing to help them overcome the Romulan B-type warbirds or break through their cloaking devices. Jarok says nothing, but then asks if Picard has children. He says he looked at his daughter and realised he must change the world for her. He pleaded with the Romulan High Command, telling them that another war would destroy the Empire but they would not listen. They censured him and sent him off to command some distant sector. His daughter will now grow up believing her father is a traitor, but at least she will grow up if Picard acts. Picard refuses, unless he has complete co-operation. In the observation lounge, Picard announces that Jarok has given him the strengths and locations of the Romulan fleet and will provide them with technical data on Romulan ships. Picard orders the ship to Nelvana III. The Enterprise enters the Neutral Zone, but suspiciously meets with no resistance. The ship arrives, but no lifeforms, power systems, weapons or any sign of a base are detected. Data realises that the signs are coming from a unknown source, orbiting the planet. Jarok arrives on the bridge. He is stunned when Picard confronts him - he saw the tactical communiques, the timetables. Picard asks if the whole incident could have been a test of Jarok's loyalty. Birds-of-Prey assist the USS Enterprise-D in confronting two D'derixex class warbirds]] The Enterprise prepares to withdraw but two Warbirds decloak and attack them. Picard tells Worf not to fire back and then receives a hail from the lead Romulan ship. Commander Tomalak appears and tells them that this time it is they who have made an agressive move across the Neutral Zone. Tomalak reveals that the communications they picked up were coming from an orbiting probe sent to conduct archaelogical research. He announces that they will dissect the Enterprise and display its broken hull in the centre of the Romulan capitol. There it will serve as inspiration for their troops and a warning to any other potential traitors. Jarok confronts Tomalak, but Tomalak refuses to listen, demanding that Jarok be returned and then the Enterprise crew surrender as prisoners of war. Picard refuses to accept Tomalak's terms, and Tomalak is not at all surprised. He asks if Picard is willing to risk the lives of his crew for a lost cause, and Picard says if the cause is just and honourable, his crew will follow him. He asks if Tomalak is also prepared to die, and Tomalak scoffs at him, expecting more than an idle threat. Picard says "You shall have it," and instructs Worf to signal three hidden Klingon Birds-of-Prey to decloak, surrounding the Romulan ships. Tomalak is forced to back down, and the Enterprise is allowed to leave in peace. Picard asks Worf to extend the gratitude and appreciation of both himself and the Federation to the Klingons. Later, Jarok is found in his quarters, dead. He has committed suicide with a Felodesine chip, leaving only a letter for his family. Data comments that Jarok must have realized that they could not deliver it, given their current relations with the Romulan Empire. Picard replies that, one day, he hopes they will be able to take his letter home. Background Information *Like "The Child" and "Devil's Due", this episode was also a re-write of an episode from the failed Star Trek: Phase II series. In that version, the defector was to be a Klingon. *This episode marks the first Star Trek appearance of James Sloyan, who was to be a prolific Trek actor. He appears in TNG again as Alexander Rozhenko in "Firstborn" and plays the title character in Voyager's "Jetrel," but his largest role was as Odo's "father", Doctor Mora Pol, appearing in "The Alternate" and "The Begotten". *Patrick Stewart, with heavy make-up and accent, plays the Shakespearian character of Michael Williams. *The Romulan scoutship was later modified and appeared again as the Romulan science vessel and as a Nasari starship. *This is the first appearance of the four-foot miniature of the Enterprise-D, the scene with the Enterprise facing the Romulan warbird and the Romulan scoutship early in the episode to be specific. *A large part of the interrogation in the interrogation room was cut from the episode. *Wil Wheaton (Wesley Crusher) does not appear in this episode. Links and References Guest Stars *James Sloyan as Alidar Jarok and Setal *Andreas Katsulas as Tomalak *S.A. Templeman as John Bates *John Hancock as Admiral Haden *Patrick Stewart as Michael Williams Parts played by unknown performers * Hoy References Apnex Sea, archaeology, auto-destruct sequencer, B-type, Bates, John, Battle of Cheron, ''Bortas'', IKS, Branagh, Kenneth, Celsius, chess, class-1 probe, cloaking device, Custer, George Armstrong, cybernetics, disruptor, EM, Felodesine chip, Federation Council, Federation space, Gal Gath'thong, Galorndon Core, hailing frequency, Henry V, holo-programs, holodeck, ''Hood'', USS, interrogation room, ionization disturbance, king, Klingons, Klingon language, Kullnark, Little Bighorn, Lya III, ''Monitor'', USS, Nelvana III, Nelvana system, Norkan Campaign, Norkan outposts, Olivier, Laurence, life support, onkian, orbital probe, Outpost Sierra VI, outpost, petaQ, political asylum, power transfer field, priority code gamma, priority one, prisoner of war, radiation, rating code, reactor core, Romulan, Romulan ale, Romulan capitol, Romulan Empire, Romulan High Command, Romulan language, Romulan Neutral Zone, Romulan scoutship, Romulan warbird, Romulus, sector, security officer, security station, Setal, Sigma Nelvana, Shakespeare, William, Shapiro, Starfleet Command, Starfleet Tactical, sublieutenant, subspace radio, suicide, tent, tohzah, Thames, Treaty of Algeron, water, Valley of Chula, veruul, viewport, violet, Williams, Michael Defector, The de:Der Überläufer nl:The Defector